Australian Prime Minister salutes Bush.

[Silver Fox]

IMO, the Australian critics are making a lot to do about nothing Re. the following incident.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, left, sparked an uproar in his home country after he playfully saluted President Bush at the recent NATO summit in Bucharest. One critic said the gesture was subservient. The two leaders are seen at the White House last month.

Australian television repeatedly broadcast videos of the gesture Thursday on the sidelines of the Bucharest summit and speculated about what it meant, while opposition lawmakers said it belittled Australia.

"We are not the 51st state of the United States of America and Mr. Rudd's salute carried a subservient connotation many Australians won't like," said Bob Brown, leader of the minor opposition Greens pary.

The salute revived memories of Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, accusing Australia under former Prime Minister John Howard of being too close to Bush and too willing to adopt hawkish U.S. foreign policy.

Rudd explained that he was just being friendly toward a world leader whom he had met for the first time as prime minister a week earlier in Washington.

"It was just a joke," Rudd told Australian reporters in Bucharest. "I was just saying 'hi' to the president of the United States - I was just with him the other day."

After saluting, Rudd strode through other NATO leaders to shake Bush's hand and spoke to the U.S. president while smiling.

[Movementarian]

Sounds like a whole lot of nothing to me.

[Silver Fox]

We'll see what Aussie George's opinion is on this.:D

[Cat_Doc]

Much ado over nothing.

[Curt581]

"We are not the 51st state of the United States of America and Mr. Rudd's salute carried a subservient connotation many Australians won't like," said Bob Brown, leader of the minor opposition Greens party.

"Bob Brown, leader of the minor opposition Greens party".

Sounds like their version of Nancy Pelosi.... with about the same amount of restraint and class.